Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Pathetic Fallacy ...

It was a horrible day. The rain and sleet, relentless. The clouds, so grey and thick and heavy. The wind would not relent.

The city streets were all but abandoned. In the time I sat there, in my car, I saw three people slogging through the elements. Not even a car drove by.

The literary device for an element in nature reflecting a character's mood is pathetic fallacy. Isn't that perfect? And indeed, what I saw through my windshield that day was reflective of my emotions. It's hard to imagine anyone being happy in such circumstances.

But I also love this image because the blur of the water makes the scene look like a Monet. To me, anyway. But I hadn't noticed that at the time.